Kingdom of Fools: Kate and Izzy's Paris Adventure
by Little Scarlet Rose
Summary: One night, Kate and Izzy are watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame when lightning strikes and they are thrown into the movie! They make both friends and enemies in 15th century Paris, and discover that the City of Lights isn't as bright as it seems...
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Alright, kids, time for bed." Izzy's pronouncement was met with whines of protest from the three Johnson children.

"Aw, man!"

"Five more minutes?"

Kate shook her head. "No way, guys, it's already half an hour past bedtime and your parents will kill us if you're all still awake when they get back from dinner."

She led the five-year-old twins, Sam and Eric, to their bedroom, Izzy and the already half-asleep little Leah trailing behind. The two babysitters tucked each toddler into bed, flicked on the glowing SpongeBob nightlight, and quietly shut the wooden bedroom door behind them. Then, they stumbled blearily downstairs and Kate plopped onto the Johnson's comfortable couch with all the grace of an elephant.

"Ugh, I'm so tired! Those kids have _way_ too much energy."

Izzy was only half-listening to her best friend's complaints as she rifled through the movie cabinet. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, at least it pays by the hour. Come help me pick a movie to watch, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson aren't going to be back for a while." With much grumbling and yawning, Kate joined her friend in front of the expansive flat-screen TV.

"Hey, these are all kid movies," Izzy protested with minor disgust. Izzy was quite the fan of scary movies.

"What did you expect, _Saw_ and _Final Destination?_ They have three cartoon-obsessed toddlers!"

Izzy huffed in annoyance. "I just thought they'd have a little more taste in movies. Told you we should've brought some stuff from my house."

Kate nodded as if in agreement, but on the inside she was glad she'd "forgotten" to grab something out of Izzy's movie drawer. The two friends had pretty similar personalities, but movies were one thing they could rarely agree on. Kate hated nearly all horror movies, instead preferring comedies or, even better, sweet, love-conquers-all storylines. Secretly, she was overjoyed that the Johnson's owned mostly cute Disney or Pixar DVD's.

Izzy pulled out a small stack of "acceptable" movies, and told Kate to pick from the pile. All four options were some of the scarier children's movies in existence, but one in particular caught Kate's eye. She'd never seen it, but knew it was a Disney movie, which meant a guaranteed happy ending. In bold letters, the front of the case proclaimed the film's strange title: _the Hunchback of Notre Dame._ Izzy spoke as she picked it up and examined it.

"I've only seen part of the opening scene, but it's way darker and more in-depth than any other Disney movie. You want to watch it? I promise, it's not _too_ scary," she teased. Kate grinned and nodded, and Izzy went to make popcorn as her brunette friend popped the disc into the DVD player. She came back with the snacks just as the opening song started to play. A choir bellowing in Latin mixed with the sound of ringing bells, the beautiful cacophony soon giving way to an accordion and a melodious male voice.

"_Morning in Paris, the city awakes_

_ To the bells of Notre Dame…_

_ The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes_

_To the bells of Notre Dame._

_To the big bells as loud as the thunder,_

_To the little bells soft as a psalm,_

_And some say the soul of the city's_

_The toll of the bells…_

_The bells of Notre Dame!"_

The two girls settled on the huge couch, bowls of popcorn and carbonated drinks cradled protectively in their laps. Distant thunder boomed outside; another storm was blowing through the area. Ignoring the inclement weather, they watched as the colorful performer onscreen told of a long-ago band of gypsies trying to sneak into Paris, and being thwarted by a cruel judge who was obviously the antagonist of the story. This man, apparently called Judge Claude Frollo, almost tossed an innocent baby down a well, but was stopped by the Archdeacon, and eventually agreed to take care of the disfigured child in an attempt to save his own soul from Hell. The child was cruelly named Quasimodo.

By now Izzy and Kate were completely engrossed in their movie, paying little attention to the increasingly loud storm raging outside. The storytelling gypsy started singing again.

"_So here is a riddle to guess if you can,_

_ Sing the bells of Notre Dame…_

_ Who is the monster and who is the man?"_

As the song swelled to its climax, thunder and lighting ripped through the skies. The deafening sound collided with the movie's music, and all the two girls could hear was the low rumbling of the storm, clanging church bells, and above all, the final words of the song.

"_BELLS OF NOTRE DAME!"_

The world seemed to split in two. Wind sprang up out of nowhere and swirled around the young women like a whirlpool, their startled screams completely overshadowed by the roaring gale and crashing bells. They spun faster and faster, and with a flash of light and one final knell, they were gone.


	2. Chapter One

**Hello, readers! I forgot to put an author's note in the last chapter, my bad! Well, here's chapter one. I wasn't going to post it for a while, but I saw all your lovely reviews and changed my mind. (Something to remember: lots of reviews make me write/post faster!)  
>June the Anonymous Reviewer: Haha you should have seen my face when I read that. Oops! I failed big-time at research. I think I got Hunchback of Notre Dame's setting confused with another story. Well, that's not much of an excuse. :)<strong>

**Disclaimer: Much to my chagrin, I don't own Hunchback of Notre Dame. Victor Hugo and Disney do. Besides, if I owned it, why would I be writing fanfic right now? I'd be off frolicking through Paris with Quasimodo and the rest of the cast! Though I can't imagine Frollo "frolicking"...**

**Enough of my rambling. Here it is!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter One<span>

Kate opened her eyes, groaning quietly. "Oh, my head is killing me… Wait, where _are_ we?" She and Izzy appeared to be splayed out on a dirty, cobblestone road, just inside an admittedly creepy-looking dark alley. She looked to her right, noticing a bright, busy city street beyond the cracked brick walls of their current location. But something seemed a bit odd about their new surroundings. Everything looked quaint, somehow, yet it was more than that. It sort of reminded Kate of her eight-grade trip to Williamsburg, but even more old-fashioned. What on earth had _happened_ to them?

Izzy seemed to be taking everything into stride. "Well," she said, getting up from the ground, "I'm never letting _you_ pick out a movie again."

Kate rolled her eyes, struggling into a standing position. "I think we've got a few more important things to worry about besides the next _movie night_. Have you seen your clothes?"

"What's wrong with them?" Izzy said indignantly. "These are the jeans _you_ bought me, thank you very much– oh, my." Izzy had finally looked down at her new attire. She was wearing a short-sleeved, faded green dress that stretched halfway down her calves, a thick olive-green sweater, and beat-up brown flats. Her straight blond hair was tied back with a handkerchief. The only thing left of her previous outfit was the small gold locket she always wore.

Izzy's voice was monotone, a sure sign of her displeasure. "I look like a Renaissance peasant."

Kate stifled a giggle. "Don't worry, my clothes aren't much better." She was sporting a slightly tattered sleeveless dress of pale yellow, with a gray vest and plain black shoes. A knitted blue scarf was carelessly wrapped around her neck. "I look _awful_ in yellow," she lamented.

An amused expression spread across Izzy's face. "Ok, come on, Miss Beauty Queen, a shopping trip can wait until we figure out where we are."

Kate and Izzy walked into the colorful city street, and marveled at what they saw. Everywhere they looked, people were dashing about, running errands and greeting friends. There were no cars; the populace seemed to rely on horses instead; or at least, it _smelled_ like they did. Kate noticed that everyone spoke French and every store sign was written in the same language, but by some bizarre miracle she could actually understand it. Not far off, she could see some kind of river. The sun glittered on the water's surface brilliantly, and she suddenly wished she had her paints and brushes with her.

Kate was jolted out of her artistic musings by Izzy's questioning voice.

"Excuse me, monsieur, but what is today's date?" she asked a random passerby.

The man looked askance at the two girls, probably wondering if they were pulling a prank on him, or worse, distracting him while someone else picked his pocket. "January 4, mademoiselle. Good day to you." The man tried to leave, but Izzy wasn't having that.

"Wait! What _year _is it?" Izzy sounded slightly desperate. Now the man looked disgruntled, and pushed Izzy out of the way as he continued down the street. He called back to her over his shoulder.

"1482, street rat! Now leave me be, or I'll have the Parisian soldiers put an end to your pickpocketing tricks!" He disappeared within the bustling crowd of citizens.

Izzy looked outraged. "What a jerk! Pushing me out of the way like that," she cried in annoyance. "I only asked the date!" Kate cut her off before she could shout more verbal abuses about the rude man.

"At least we know where we are now. And, I guess, _when_ we are," Kate said in an attempt to placate her friend. It worked; Izzy forgot all about her anger as she tried to figure out their new situation.

"How did this even happen, anyway?" Izzy shook her head, pushing her hair out of her blue eyes. "One minute we're happily watching a movie, and the next–"

Something clicked inside Kate's mind. "You don't think we could have actually… _fallen into the movie_, somehow?" She lowered her voice so no one on the street could overhear. "It kind of makes sense. Wasn't the story set in 15th century Paris too?" Kate was definitely was warming up to her idea. "There _was_ that crazy thunderstorm, after all. Lightning could have struck the house…"

"Well, whether we're in the movie or not," Izzy said, "First things first: we don't know how long we'll be stuck here, so we'd better find a place to stay. Maybe Notre Dame cathedral would take us in? That gypsy woman in the movie was asking for sanctuary…"

Kate shook her head. "I think calling 'sanctuary' is a last-resort type of thing. Like, if you're about to be arrested, or something. We might have to throw ourselves on the mercy of a stranger." She smiled when she saw Izzy's wary expression. "Don't worry, if this_ is_ a Disney movie, then that Judge Frollo is probably the only bad person in the whole city!" The two girls laughed.

"You're probably right," Izzy agreed. "You _are _kind of an expert on Disney movies. But who would let us stay with them? We can't exactly go up to some random person on the street–"

But it appeared that Kate was doing exactly that. The girl was already talking to a kind-looking, elderly woman in a faded purple shawl. A minute or so later, Kate triumphantly returned to Izzy's side. "That woman's name is Madame Huet," she said matter-of-factly, oblivious to her friend's incredulous stare. "She lives alone, now that her kids have grown up and left home, and she feels bad for us. You see, I explained to her how we were separated from our families while travelling to Paris, and we have nowhere to stay until they arrive in a few days. So Madame Huet has agreed to let us stay with her, if we run errands for her and help clean up her house."

Izzy was speechless, which Kate took to be a sign of approval. She beckoned to Madame Huet, who slowly strolled over to meet her new houseguests. "Madame Huet," Kate said, "This is Isabelle Bennet. Izzy, meet Madame Huet."

"It's a pleasure," said the kindly old woman. "I get so lonely in that old house all by myself, so I'm delighted to help you two girls until your families make it to the city." By then, Izzy had mostly recovered her composure, and thanked Madame Huet for her hospitality.

Kate smiled. She had a feeling she would like Paris quite a bit.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Kate and Izzy were helping to clean up dinner at Madame Huet's house. The cottage was small, but cozy and comfortable. Little knick-knacks adorned every shelf, and portraits of Madame Huet's family (her late husband had apparently been a bit of an artist) hung on nearly every available wall. After the dishes were washed, dried, and replaced in their respective cabinets, the sweet old lady showed Izzy and Kate to their bedroom.<p>

"My two daughters both stayed in here. I hope you don't mind sharing," Madame Huet said, already remaking the beds for her guests.

"Not at all!" Kate said. "Izzy and I have known each other for years, we're practically sisters!"

The Frenchwoman smiled. "I hope you enjoy yourselves here." She handed each girl a nightdress. "If you wouldn't mind doing a bit of grocery shopping in the market tomorrow morning, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'll make you a list after breakfast."

"Leave it to us, Madame!" Izzy said.

Mme. Huet smiled, said goodnight, and left the room, gently shutting the thick wooden door behind her. After listening to the woman's retreating footsteps echo down the hallway, Izzy turned to her friend. "We hit the jackpot, that's for sure. I feel a little bad lying to her, though…"

Kate sighed a little sadly. "Me too, but we don't have much of a choice. We can't exactly say, 'Hello, Madame! We're from 2011! But don't worry, we're not crazy or anything! So, can we stay at your house?'"

Izzy snorted. "I'm sure _that_ would go over well. Anyway, you want to explore the city tomorrow? I'm sure there are plenty fun, Disney-ish things to do here. Who knows, maybe everyone will break into song while we do our grocery shopping?" Izzy grinned, eyes brimming with mischief. "We'd better get a song ready. Maybe something like this…" She started belting out made-up lyrics to the tune of the movie's opening song.

"_Shopping in Paris: what a delight! Sing the bells of Notre Dame!"_

Kate laughed giddily. "I'd better get started on the dance choreography. How about two steps left, one step back, spin around and clap three times?"

Izzy guffawed in a very un-ladylike fashion. "What's next, the Chicken Dance? Something tells me you don't have much of a future in showbiz."

The teenagers made a few more jokes about Disney movies and their tendency to have unexpected musical numbers, and then decided to call it a night. They changed into their new nightgowns, blew out their candle, and climbed into bed–Kate took the bed next to the window, and Izzy took the other.

Kate stared out the window at the gorgeous, panoramic view of Paris. The city was quiet, moonlight shining over the Seine and making the entire city glow. Off in the distance, she could see Notre Dame's shadowy silhouette. The cathedral seemed to watch over the city like a protector, promising to keep it safe from harm. The evening mass must have started, because the church's bells were ringing softly, lulling Kate to sleep. Wrapping her quilt more tightly around her body, she whispered a goodnight to Izzy, hearing only her friend's comforting snores in return. She smiled faintly, and her eyes fell shut.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, what did you think? And don't worry; canon characters are going to start showing up next chapter. Stay tuned, and review!<strong>

**Yours Truly, Little Scarlet Rose**


	3. Chapter Two

**Hi, everyone! Sorry I haven't updated as quickly as I'd have liked to, unfortunately life tends to get in the way of writing. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I just love seeing that people are actually reading this! Alright, I won't make you wait any longer.**

**Disclaimer: STILL don't own Hunchback of Notre Dame.**

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

As Kate sprinted down side streets and shoved slow-moving window shoppers out of her way, Izzy following just behind her, she reflected on how grateful she was for her best friend. Sure, they had their stupid arguments and occasional misunderstandings, but Izzy and Kate had learned to love each other's many quirks and faults, or at least to put up with them. Even now, as the two girls were desperately trying to escape from a group of extremely irritated soldiers, Izzy stood by (or in this case, ran next to) her friend, even when it was Kate's lack of foresight (or maybe it was bravery; it can sometimes be difficult to tell) that got them into their situation in the first place. There was no doubt in Kate's mind that Izzy would always, _always_ be there when needed.

Like this morning, for example, when this whole mess had begun. It had all started with something as simple as lunch….

* * *

><p>"<em>We're back, Madame Huet!" Kate called. She and Izzy, laden with packages from the market, had just walked into the house, and started to put away their newly purchased items. "We managed to get everything on your list, but finding those spices took forever! That shopkeeper boy said someone was looking in the back of the store, but I think he just wanted to talk to Izzy a little more–" Izzy interrupted and shoved Kate's arm playfully.<em>

"_Shut up, you! He wasn't even that cute."_

"_Oh, you say that _now_, but I _saw_ you looking at him while we were in the store."_

_Madame Huet, foreseeing a potential argument, wisely chose that moment to step into the room. "Welcome back, dears! I hope you didn't have too much trouble. You can leave the rest of those for me to put away, I think the two of you deserve a little reward for doing my errands for me." The kind old woman smiled and handed Izzy a small drawstring bag. Something that sounded a lot like coins clinked inside it. "This should be plenty of money for a good lunch."_

_Kate's eyes widened. "Are you sure, Madame? You really don't have to…."_

"_Nonsense!" The Frenchwoman replied. "You earned it. Besides, I want you to find a few good places to eat so you can tell your families about them when they arrive."_

_Izzy smiled, a little guiltily. "Thank you, Mme. Huet! We'll be back soon."_

"_Take all the time you need, girls!" The woman laughed. "Paris has more to offer than just a few good restaurants. I would advise you to do a bit of sight-seeing, that way you can start learning your way around your new home."_

_Izzy and Kate said goodbye, and stepped out once again into the streets of Paris, the city that was rapidly becoming their favorite place in the world._

_An hour later, the two teenagers were walking along the Seine, each enjoying a delicious buttered croissant and otherwise enjoying their new lives. Yet even these two unassuming girls had been unable to get through a meal without incident. It had taken all of about two minutes to affirm that they had, in fact, plummeted into a Disney movie. Izzy had been skeptical at first, but even _she _couldn't argue with the overwhelming evidence: the girls had been walking down a crowded street in the shopping district when, without warning, nearly every citizen in the area simultaneously burst into song. _

_Yes, really._

_Poor Kate and Izzy barely managed to fight their way through the singing, dancing, overzealously smiling crowd. It didn't help that their song was annoyingly catchy._

"_Tomorrow! Tomorrow! The Festival's tomorrow!_

_Everyone get ready for the Feast of FOOLS!"_

_Much to Izzy's annoyance, Kate got the song stuck in her head and was humming it contentedly for nearly half an hour. Izzy was just contemplating some rather violent methods of getting her friend to shut up when a sudden, frenzied gust of wind came from her left side. Turning quickly, she was shocked (and a little terrified, not that she'd admit it) to see a horse careening past them, nearly running them over. Riding atop the animal was a tall man with an overlarge mustache and a stupid-looking helmet. Izzy didn't get much of a chance to gawk, as the horse was galloping at breakneck speed, but she thought he was wearing some kind of armor. A soldier? Then, another, considerably fatter soldier on horseback dashed by. He yelled something rather unintelligible due to a thick accent, but it sounded a lot like,_

"_Stop that gypsy thief!"_

_The two girls were curious, and a little angry about almost being turned into road-kill by a couple of horses, so they started running after the procession. When they made it to the street corner, they could see whom the guards were chasing. It was a little gypsy girl clad in silver bangles and a flowing green skirt. She couldn't have been older than the Johnson children Izzy and Kate babysat, and she couldn't have looked more terrified than if she was about to be dragged off to Hell itself (Maybe she _was_, thought Izzy). _

_To her credit, Kate took in all of this in an instant (an uncommon feat for her) and acted quickly and with precision. Barely considering the consequences of her actions, she leapt out in front of the first horse just as it was about to reach the girl. Backpedaling wildly, the huge animal reared up, flinging the bewildered soldier off its back. The next soldier met a similar fate. Both horses ran off down the street, and the guards were piled in a painful heap on the cobbled pavement (now that Izzy had a chance to inspect them, they looked more like thugs than policemen). Kate didn't miss a beat, though she did look surprised to miraculously still be alive. She turned around to check on the gypsy girl, and was pleased to see her retreating form sprint down an alley and out of sight. Izzy went to her courageous, but absurdly foolish, best friend. She was going to ask if Kate was okay, but as she heard the angry shouts and accusations from the soldiers, she changed her mind._

"_Run!" she commanded, and Kate was quick to obey. The two girls hurtled away from the scene of their crime._

* * *

><p>Kate and Izzy had certainly been having an interesting day. They made one final dash, darting out of an alleyway into some kind of square. Finally ceasing in their escape, they checked behind them, relieved to see that the soldiers had lost their trail. Still breathing heavily, the girls looked at each other, and then dissolved into laughter.<p>

"I can't – _hahaha _– believe you… just did that! You're ok, aren't you?" Izzy giggled.

It took Kate a moment to recover from sniggering, but she eventually managed it (albeit with much difficulty). "I'm fine, but oh, did you see their faces? I haven't seen anyone looked that confused since – _whoa_." Kate had finally noticed where they were.

They had ended up on the outskirts of a large town square, which seemed to be setting up for some kind of party: The Feast of Fools, no doubt. And directly in front of them, looming up above the other ramshackle buildings like a proud eagle among squawking pigeons, was…

"_Notre Dame,"_ Kate breathed.

The cathedral was exquisite. Elegantly carved statues of various saints lined the outer walls, their unblinking eyes staring down in a way that was both kindly and stern. Stained glass was everywhere, glowing with the afternoon sun and dappling the street below with brilliant colors. And the architecture itself was, to put it tamely, magnificent. The two girls stood in awe of the beauty before them, and then turned to each other. No words were needed; the enraptured looks in both of their eyes were more than enough. They were going in.

* * *

><p>"I wonder where this door leads?" Kate said, her brown eyes brimming with curiosity.<p>

Izzy and Kate were exploring the cavernous interior of Notre Dame, and falling in love with every step. Or at least Kate was; this place was an artist's heaven, as far as _she_ was concerned. Every surface was gleaming with sunlight and shadow; every statue was so lifelike. And the stained glass windows! Words couldn't describe them, but maybe a paintbrush could–

"_Shh!_ Not so loud, Kate, there's a Mass going on and I don't think we're supposed to be over here!" Izzy hissed. "If we get kicked out because of your big mouth –"

Kate rolled her eyes. "It's a _church_, Izzy! They can't exactly make us leave. And besides, the Mass is almost over. People will be spilling out those doors soon, so no one's going to even notice us." The young woman turned her attentions back to the mysterious doorway. "Maybe it leads to the bell tower…. Izzy, we have to go up there!"

Izzy groaned. "And may I ask _why_?"

"This is an old, ridiculously ornate French cathedral, right?" Kate asked, condescension dripping from her tone. She continued after her friend's wary nod. "Well, that means that there will be all kinds of cool stuff up there, like gargoyles and statues and _please_ can we go up there Izzy?" Here she gave her best impression of a cute, puppy-dog face.

Izzy sighed in defeat, mumbling something about a reckless, ungrateful girl who drags her best friend into a ton of potentially dangerous situations with little to no forethought. Kate ignored her, giddily racing up the winding, dimly lit staircase in pursuit of adventure. Izzy trailed behind, lost in thought. She struggled to remember something Frollo said at the end of the opening song. Something about the bell tower, she knew, but _what was it?_

The girl's attempts to remember were interrupted by a gasp from Kate, who had finally reached the top of the staircase. "Izzy, get _up_ here! This is fantastic, you can see the whole city!"

Though she did her best to hide it (why give Kate the satisfaction of knowing she was right), the view blew Izzy away. The City of Lights sprawled below her, stretching on and on for miles. She never knew Paris was this _big_.

Kate appeared to be equally impressed. She flitted around like a hummingbird, drinking in the sights of both the city and the architecture of Notre Dame. Kate kept shouting excitedly about some artistic nonsense, but Izzy mostly ignored her, choosing to study their surroundings. The staircase had led out to this bridge-type thing the spanned the length of the cathedral. Across it was another little set of stairs that went into the bell tower. The tower itself was a giant, climbing endlessly into the sky (Izzy had to bend backwards to see the top of the huge structure). Kate had evidently noticed it, too, as she had stopped blabbering on about the gargoyle statues and was now striding toward the staircase. Izzy sprinted. She stopped in front of Kate and tried to block her path.

"Ok, Katherine, I know for a _fact_ that we're _really_ not supposed to go up there," she said, trying to inflect both menace and care into her tone. "It's one thing to come up here, since we could just say we got lost. But the freaking _bell tower?_" Izzy should have realized by then that a girl as headstrong as Kate was not going to be deterred with something as trivial as _reason_.

"Izzy!" She groaned, taking her friend's and dragging her up the narrow steps and into the tower. "We're never going to do anything fun if we don't break a couple rules! Besides, who's even up her to catch us? I haven't seen a single person up here–" her breath froze in her throat at the scene before them.

Most of the space was taken up with bells, unsurprisingly. They hung from dark wood rafters and glowed golden with the afternoon sun. Beams of light wove through the tower, and more religious statues cropped up in unlikely places. Kate was particularly fascinated by three mismatched gargoyles standing to one side at the foot of a ladder, illuminated by one especially bright ray of sun. Her eyes slid from the silent statues to the ladder next to them, and she started climbing up the rungs, smiling at the way her feet made the wood creak. She called to Izzy over her shoulder.

"Come on, Izzy, live a little!" Kate smirked at the girl's reluctant sigh, and the sound of more wooden steps protesting loudly under their combined weight. She knew that Izzy was just as intrigued as her, but didn't want to show it.

Now, she was at the top of the ladder, and she climbed onto the sturdy platform in front of her. Her eyes widened at what she saw. It looked a bit like – not a house, but like someone lived there. Close to the ladder were a few shelves, with dishes and some basic food items stacked carefully atop them. Beyond the shelves, framed by light coming through an opening in the bell tower, was a large, makeshift table (which, upon inspection, was just a thick, heavy piece of wood balanced on a few barrels and a bust of someone who looked suspiciously like Jesus). And on the table…

Kate gasped, quietly hurrying to the table. "Izzy, look at these!" she breathed, leaning excitedly over the wooden surface, her hands spreading out over it to support her unbalanced weight. The table was covered in beautiful woodcarvings. It was a model of Paris, complete with little, exquisitely detailed houses and shops, a perfect replica of Notre Dame, and even tiny models of the citizens! There were bakers selling bread, fishermen holding miniscule fishing rods, and children happily playing ball in the square. Kate even thought she recognized Madame Huet among the smiling woodcarvings, her purple shawl standing out in a sea of muted greens, blues, and browns.

Izzy picked up a tiny wooden child, turning it over in her hands. Kate could tell she was impressed, which (she knew from experience) was a rare thing indeed. "Beautiful," Izzy whispered. Kate nodded, a smile spreading over her face. She wondered who had created these tiny works of art, and was just about to ask Izzy for her thoughts on the subject when a timid, stuttering voice echoed down from the upper rafters of the bell tower.

"Um, excuse m-me, but… what are you t-two doing up here?"

Startled, Izzy and Kate nearly jumped back from the table. Squinting, Kate peered up into the inky blackness above her. The girl thought she glimpsed something moving even farther back into the shadows but wasn't sure.

Izzy spoke first. "Who's there?" she inquired, suspicion evident in her words.

The voice sounded as shocked as they were. "I-I am the b-bellringer. I'm sorry, but parishioners aren't really s-supposed to come up here…"

"Oh, really? We're sorry," Kate apologized, making an effort to sound even friendlier than usual. Rules be damned, nothing would make _her _leave this bell tower! "We're new to the city, you see. I'm Katherine, but please call me Kate, and this is Isabelle–"

"Izzy to friends," the blond girl added.

The mysterious bellringer was silent.

"And _your_ name might be…?" Kate waited for an answer.

After a hesitant moment or two, the man spoke, haltingly. "My name is… _Quasimodo_," the bellringer said. Poor thing, he sounded like he hated it.

And it was an unusual name, indeed, but Kate didn't miss a beat. "Pleasure to meet you," she said pleasantly. "Or at least, it _would_ be a pleasure, if you'd maybe come down here for a proper introduction?"

The bellringer's voice came back sounding terrified. "N-no, please! You wouldn't want to see…" He had drifted off, but reluctantly continued after seeing Izzy and Kate's confused expressions. "I suppose you wouldn't have heard the stories," he mumbled, too quietly for the two strange girls to hear. Speaking up, he answered their unspoken question. "I – I am a monster, you know," he admitted.

Kate frowned. "Why would you think _that_?" she asked. "I heard you ring bells last night and today, and it's absolutely beautiful." She said this as a statement of fact, but with touching sincerity. Quasi started to stutter out a fervent thank-you (no one had _ever_ complimented him before) but the girl wasn't finished. "And, in my experience, monsters don't create beautiful things. They only _destroy_ them. So," she concluded, grinning, "Clearly, you aren't a monster."

Quasimodo was dumfounded. "I never though of it that way," he murmured.

"So _now_ won't you come down here and see us?" Izzy pleaded.

The bellringer deliberated. His head told him that even these sweet girls would scream and run at the sight of his hideousness, but his heart said something different. They seemed so different than how Frollo described the citizens of Paris. Maybe, for once in his life, Quasi could have _friends_. A long shot, he knew, but what did he have to lose?

Decided, he leapt down from the rafters with the agility of a cat. He was still hidden in shadow, however, and all Kate and Izzy could make out was a dark shape descending from the top of the bell tower. Then, there was a quiet _thump _and a creak of floorboards, and Quasimodo the bellringer was standing before them, still swathed in darkness. Kate smiled encouragingly, and he took a deep breath. Already steeling himself for a bad reaction, Quasimodo stepped into the light.

Izzy fought back a gasp, hoping her widening eyes and sharp intake of breath went unnoticed. The bellringer was a hunchback, his hulking shoulders roughly aligned with his head. There was a sort of bump behind one of his eyes, and he seemed to walk with a limp. However, there was a kindness evident in his features that hardly made him monstrous. Izzy felt no fear, only surprise, understanding, and a little pity. This man must have had a difficult life; he looked at the girls as if he was waiting for them to scream in terror and run for their lives.

Kate's reaction was even milder than Izzy's. She seemed to study him for half a second, and then she gave one of those heartwarming smiles she was so famous for. "You have beautiful eyes," she remarked.

Whatever Quasimodo had been expecting, it most certainly wasn't _that._

"_R-really?"_ He stammered, looking completely astonished.

"Yes, they're such a nice color. Kind of a teal green, but with a bit of blue as well…" She drifted off thoughtfully. Quasi raised a scarlet eyebrow.

"Kate's an artist," explained Izzy. "She's a bit eccentric that way, but she's sweet. _Most_ of the time, anyway." Izzy rolled her own blue eyes. "Incredibly stupid sometimes, too," she grumbled, half to herself.

Quasi smiled a bit, then rubbed his eyes with the back of his large hand. Izzy thought she saw a glistening bead of water drop to the ground. Had he been wiping away a tear?

"Thank you," Quasimodo finally said, looking at Kate as if she was his new favorite person in the world (and she might well have been). "I-I know I said that people aren't supposed to come up to the bell tower, b-but–" he suddenly looked nervous. "But _you_ two can, if you'd like to…?" The bellringer was nearly pleading with them. "I-it's just that, well, I hardly ever get visitors, except for–"

"We'd like nothing better," Kate promised. "Right, Izzy?" The other girl nodded enthusiastically, and Kate smiled. "Quasimodo, were you the one to make those woodcarvings?" She pointed to the paint-splattered worktable.

Quasimodo looked a little surprised. "Oh yes," he said, "I made all of them. Some aren't quite finished yet, but… do you like them?" Hope crept into his soft voice.

"Of course!" Kate cried. "They're completely amazing, I've never seen anyone carve as beautifully as you." The kind young man blushed, his ruddy complexion contrasting violently with his shock of crimson hair. He tried to wave off the compliment, but Kate was adamant. "I_ mean_ it," she insisted. "You're very talented." Izzy agreed completely, and said so.

"Katherine, Isabelle, would you like to see something _really_ beautiful?" Quasimodo asked. They nodded, and he grinned widely. "Come on up, I'll show you!" He started climbing up another wooden ladder, and motioned for his new friends to follow. "It's just the right time of evening to show you, too!" He called back to them excitedly. Finally, the three people made it to the top of the ladder, and found themselves on the roof. Quasimodo beckoned the girls forward, and stretched out before them was the most breathtaking sunset view of Paris either of them had ever seen.

"_Wow," _Kate breathed, drinking it in. The sun's dying rays melted over the city, dappling the Seine and streaming through wispy clouds. And the colors…! Plum purple, golden yellow, rosy pink! It was everything a sunset should be.

Quasimodo smiled at Kate's starstruck expression. "I'm glad you like it," he said simply. Izzy rolled her eyes.

"I think 'like it' is a bit of an understatement," she muttered. "But it's very, very beautiful, Quasimodo." Kate mumbled something like a thank-you, but her actual words were unable to be understood. Quasimodo and Izzy both laughed.

"Well," Izzy eventually sighed, tapping her friend on the shoulder, "I hate to say this, but we should probably be getting back to Madame Huet's house."

Kate broke out of her trance. "Oh dear," she said, guilt suffusing her features. "We were supposed to help her with dinner…."

Quasimodo looked sad, suddenly sure that he'd never see his new friends again. "I'll miss you two," he said wistfully. "I hope we can see each other again one day…."

"Can we come back to visit in a few days?" asked Kate. "Or maybe tomorrow? Unless you're busy, of course–"

Once again, the bellringer looked shocked. "You mean you'll come back?"

Izzy laughed. "Definitely! We haven't even seen the whole bell tower yet, and I'm sure Kate's going to want another look at that sunset."

Kate eagerly agreed. "And of course we want to see you again," she added. "Besides Madame Huet, the lady we're staying with, you're the only friend we've made in the city."

"Tomorrow sounds perfect," Quasimodo grinned, "But won't you be attending the Festival of Fools?"

Kate slapped her forehead. "I forgot about that! Yes, we were planning to. You should come too, Quasimodo."

He balked. "Oh, no," he sighed. "I've never been outside the bell tower, and–"

"_Never?"_ Izzy cried. "Well, all the more reason to go!"

Kate nodded. "No one wants to stay cooped up here forever," she added. Quasimodo still looked uncertain. "At least _think_ about it?" Kate requested.

Slowly, the young man nodded. "Alright then, I'll _think_ about it," he agreed.

The friends eventually said their goodbyes and the two girls went back down the ladder and out of the bell tower, back to Madame Huet's residence. As Quasimodo watched them lead, Kate's words echoed in his head.

_No one wants to stay cooped up here forever…._

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><p><strong>What did you think? Quasi is in character, right? I tried very hard to get him just right. Let me know your thoughts, and review!<strong>

**Hugs and Kisses, Little Scarlet Rose**


	4. Chapter Three

**Hi everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in forever, I feel so bad :| But don't worry; _Kingdom of Fools_ is back and I'm already planning out future chapters! So without further ado, here's Chapter Three!**

**DISCLAIMER: As you know, I don't own anything except Kate, Izzy, and Madame Huet.**

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

_Come one, come all!_

_Leave your loops and milking stools_

_Coop the hens and pen the mules!_

Dashing through the streets, Kate and Izzy giddily listened to the exciting party music drifting through Paris. It was January 6th: the Feast of Fools! It felt to Kate as if everything that had happened before today was just a prologue. But _today_ was the beginning page of a book, the first day of forever. She mentioned her thoughts to Izzy, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"There you go again, being all wistful and poetic." Kate started to protest, but Izzy cut her off with a laugh. "Oh yes you are, and if Madame Huet were here she'd agree with me." The kindly woman had elected to stay home for the day, insisting that two teenage girls wouldn't want an old lady trailing after them all day long at the festival.

Kate conceded with a guilty grin. "Alright, maybe I was laying it on a little thick. But still, don't you feel that way? Maybe it's the day the movie's plot actually starts!"

Izzy agreed that it sort of made sense, but no more words were wasted on the subject because the girls had arrived at the Notre Dame Square.

Izzy's first thought was that a rainbow had thrown up all over the square. Everywhere she looked there were colors upon colors. Rainbow pennants crisscrossed through the tops of buildings and flags and banners in every hue we strung up throughout the area. Contrasting sharply with the color scheme was a dark-looking tent inhabited by Judge Claude Frollo, who was staring grimly at his surroundings. He even scowled at the confetti that cascaded through the air endlessly, landing on the roofs of haphazard tents like snowfall on Christmas. It also festooned the hats and hair of the thousands of people present at the event. Izzy was bewildered and overwhelmed by the teeming masses of people singing and dancing through the party. She and her friend were barely on the outskirts of the square and were already being knocked into by the ridiculously costumed festival attendees. Izzy would certainly have to keep an eye on Kate during this, lest the brunette get lost. Speaking of Kate, she seemed awed, but undeterred. With reckless abandon, she took Izzy by the hand and led her into the fray.

_Come and join the feast…of… FOOLS!_

* * *

><p>Half a musical number later (and one or two drinks later, though she'd never tell her mother), Kate was having the time of her life. She and Izzy were each dancing in circles with rather attractive young men in matching blue masks. She started to get dizzy and broke away from the group with an uncharacteristic flirty giggle, and her dance partner smiled and kissed her hand before joining back into the festivities. Izzy soon followed her friend, and the pair took to watching a short, energetic gypsy man dressed in purple and yellow cavort around the square. With a start, Kate realized that the man was Clopin from the opening song of the movie. She nudged Izzy, who nodded in excited understanding. After a playfully seductive dance from a gorgeous green-eyed gypsy named Esmeralda, Clopin bounded up onstage and declared the "piece-de-resistance" of the party.<p>

"Here it is! The moment you've been waiting for,

Here it is, you know exactly what's in store!

Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore ,

Now's the time we crown the King of Fools!"

Izzy turned to Kate as they watched from farther back in the crowd. "What's the King of Fools?" she asked. Kate shrugged.

"For the face that's ugliest will be the King of Fools!" Clopin sang as people in bizarre costumes clambered up onstage.

Izzy and Kate were floored by the next thing they saw. The gypsy dancer Esmeralda was pulling none other than Quasimodo up with the rest of the King of Fools hopefuls. He looked confused, but charmed by the pretty woman smiling at him.

"So Quasi came to the party after all? Good for him!" Izzy said enthusiastically.

Kate was less optimistic. "Don't know why, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this…"

Izzy looked at her friend oddly, but suddenly understood what was happening when Esmeralda started ripping off the contestants' masks. Horrified realization dawned on her face. _"She thinks Quasi is wearing a costume!" _she gasped.

The two girls immediately started trying to push through to the front of the crowd, but there were too many people to get very close. Suddenly the thousands clustered in front of the stage seemed to Kate more claustrophobic than exciting. Still, she and Izzy desperately threw people aside as they struggled to reach their friend, but they were too late. Screams echoed throughout the square as Esmeralda tried, but failed, to remove the bell ringer's "mask." Shouts of disgust followed the screams, and the kind hunchback buried his face in his hands ashamedly.

Tears formed in Kate's brown eyes. "Sorry, Quasi," she whispered.

Luckily, Clopin stepped in. "Ladies and gentlemen, do not panic!" He cried brightly. "We asked for the ugliest face in Paris and here he is! Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame!" The gypsy's natural charisma worked, and the crowd's mood switched from horror to delight. Without further ado, Quasi was helped onto a sort of one-man parade float, hoisted into the air, and triumphantly paraded through the crowd as the new King of Fools. He was obviously enjoying himself, and his two friends in the audience sighed in relief. Izzy and Kate hurried up onto a platform and each kissed Quasi on the cheek as he passed by. Blushing scarlet, he smiled in greeting as his float was carried away from them. He was pushed onto another platform in the center of the square and handed a cape, crown, and scepter. The crowd sang joyously.

_And pick a king who'll put the "top" in_

_Topsy Turvy Day!_

_Mad and crazy, upsy-daisy, Topsy Turvy Day!_

The song ended with an explosion of cheers and confetti. The crowd started cheering Quasimodo's name, and the bell ringer looked happier than anyone Kate had ever seen. But the happiness was not to last. A small group of soldiers had been standing near the platform Izzy and Kate were still standing on, and one of them started tossing a tomato into the air.

"You think he's ugly now?" He said to another guard. Izzy and Kate looked at them, recognizing them as the guards they were running from yesterday. The guard continued, oblivious to their stares. "Watch this!" The thug grinned maliciously and hurled the tomato at Quasimodo, scoring a direct hit to the bell ringer's face. The group of soldiers erupted into laughter. "Now _that's_ ugly!" One of them guffawed.

Kate saw red.

Before the girl registered what she was doing, she leaped off the platform and landed in front of the guards. Izzy, equally outraged, was right behind her. Just as a shocked look began to show on the cruel bully's face, Kate punched him square in the face.

"_How dare you?"_ she shouted furiously. When he was hit, the guard had staggered back a few steps in shock. Now he was nose to nose with the livid young woman in front of him.

"Watch it, peasant! Don't you know who you're talking to?" He raised his hand to slap Kate across the face, but Izzy stepped in front of her friend.

"Don't touch her!" Izzy roared. And with that, she gave him a good kick to his – well, let's just say it hurt the thug very, very much. He collapsed to the ground in pain, and Kate smiled at Izzy appreciatively. The other two soldiers finally decided to act, and tried to catch the girls. The girls ran away, ducking under the wood platform. The guards, however, didn't have the presence of mind to duck underneath the structure and they hit their heads on the strong wood. Dazed, they fell to the ground.

This entire scene had gone mostly unnoticed because the majority of the crowd had followed the first guard's example and were throwing rotten produce at the unfortunate hunchback. Someone had even tied him down to the rotating platform and spun him around, so he was dizzy as well as heartbroken. Kate and Izzy tried to get through the crowd to help their friend, but too many people blocked their way. They desperately called out Quasi's name, but their shouts were lost in the clamor of the vicious crowd.

Suddenly, everyone was quiet. The beautiful gypsy dancer had ascended the platform's steps and was kneeling next to Quasimodo. She talked to him quietly.

"Don't be afraid. I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen."

"You bet it wasn't," Izzy muttered.

Judge Claude Frollo then stood up and demanded that Esmeralda get off the platform and leave the poor bell ringer to his punishment. (Kate and Izzy immediately started to hate Frollo.) The gypsy and judge started to argue, with the crowd looking on in astonishment. No one _ever _stood up to Claude Frollo. The dispute escalated, ending with Esmeralda shouting,

"It appears we've crowned the wrong fool. The only fool I see is you!" She grabbed the crown from Quasimodo's head and hurled it at the seething judge's feet.

"Captain Phoebus! Arrest her," he ordered. Guard started to move in on the brave dancer.

"Now, let's see," she said. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten of you, and one of me. What's a poor girl to do?" She pretended to cry, and then disappeared in an explosion of purple smoke. The gypsy girl then led baffled guard in a wild chase throughout the square, distracting everyone from another chase going on. The other guards had located Kate and Izzy, and the two girls were running for their lives. The pair dashed through the crowd, pushing partygoers aside as they struggled to escape arrest. They leaped over beer kegs, sprinted through tents, and finally made it out of the festival.

Doubled over and gasping for breath, the two girls looked at each other. They didn't burst out laughing like they did the last time they were nearly arrested by Frollo's thugs. Both girls felt more like crying. The Feast of Fools had been fun at first, but then practically every citizen of Paris had turned on Quasimodo and Izzy and Kate couldn't even do anything to help their new friend. For a few minutes, both girls were silent, still recovering from their long-distance sprint away from the police. Finally, Izzy spoke.

"I think we should go back to Madame Huet's house until the guards stop looking for us," she said. Kate was quiet.

"Then, when the coast is clear, we'll come back and check on Quasi, ok?" Kate only nodded slightly, and Izzy started to worry about her. Kate was rarely silent, so what happened to Quasimodo must have been bothering her a lot. Izzy pulled her best friend into a quick hug. "He's fine, don't worry. Esmeralda stuck up for him when we couldn't, and he must know that we tried." Kate cheered up slightly, and managed a small smile for her caring friend. But as they started walking back to Mme. Huet's, Izzy saw Kate wipe her eyes on her now bedraggled blue scarf.

* * *

><p>They had barely even knocked on the quaint painted door when Madame Huet threw it open and ushered them inside.<p>

"Thank goodness you two are alright! I started to get a bad feeling as soon as you left, and I've already heard about what happened at the Festival of Fools from a neighbor. You girls didn't get into any trouble, did you?"

Izzy sighed. "Sorry, Madame, but we sort of did. Did you hear about what happened to Notre Dame's bellringer?" Kate had started to act more like her usual chipper self, but at the mention of the incident her eyes saddened once again.

Madame Huet nodded vehemently. "I certainly did hear about it, and I was furious! No one had any right to be so cruel to him."

"I know!" Izzy exclaimed. "We actually met him yesterday, and he was so nice! He'd never hurt a fly, but they treated him like some kind of monster!" She huffed in frustration. "We tried to help him but we couldn't get through the crowds. And we had some guards chasing us because we, um, confronted them after they threw the first tomatoes."

The older woman blanched. "_Frollo's_ guards?" Izzy and Kate nodded. "Judge Frollo's guards are feared throughout the city for two things: their brutality and that they never let a criminal escape. _Never_. Are you absolutely certain that you weren't followed here?"

The question was answered by a loud, angry knock on the door. Everyone paled.

"That must be the guards now!" Kate whispered.

"Quick, you must go," Mme. Huet hissed. "It's not safe for you to be here until they stop looking for you. Leave through the back door and–" someone slammed their fist on the door–"go back to Notre Dame. You need to claim sanctuary, otherwise you'll be arrested and brought to the Palace of Justice."

"I assume that would be bad," said Izzy.

"Very, very bad," replied the elderly woman. She started pushing her charges towards the back door. "Now hurry, and try not to be seen. Good luck, dears."

"Thanks for everything, Madame," Kate said. "And be careful around those guards, ok?"

Madame Huet responded with a fond smile, and went to finally answer the door. Isabelle and Katherine slipped out into the cold Parisian street and began their dangerous journey back to the cathedral.

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><p><strong> So what did you think? Please review!<strong>


	5. Chapter Four

**I'm back! I am so sorry I haven't updated in two years! I was just going through my old files and I came across this old story and I remembered how much I loved writing it! So, I'm back with another chapter and am writing the next one! If anyone is still there, thank you so much for your patience! You are amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! (Except Izzy and Kate)**

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

Kate and Izzy didn't make it twenty feet before they were seen.

"Look, there they are!" Someone shouted. Kate whipped around, and she saw a group of Frollo's guards that were already bearing down on them.

Kate grabbed Izzy's hand and bolted down the street, dragging her best friend behind her. She had no idea where she was going; for all she knew, she could be heading in the opposite direction from the cathedral. All Kate knew was that she had never been more afraid in her entire life. There were at least seven men chasing her and Izzy, and each one was furious that the two girls had managed to elude capture for as long as they had. She could hear the soldiers now: the sound of their heavy feet slamming down on the cobblestone road echoed horribly.

"Catch them, before they get away!" one guard bellowed.

Another one roared angrily. "We'll make these street rats pay for their disrespect!"

Kate was genuinely panicking now, and not only because of the guards' remarks. The girl was beginning to realize that she had gone in the wrong direction to Notre Dame. The streets they were on didn't look familiar at all, and she could tell Izzy was starting to get tired. Izzy was a cross-country runner at her high school; she was built for distance, not speed, and this sprinting was using up the blonde's stamina fast. Kate herself was only running on pure adrenaline, which came from the fear of getting thrown in jail by the antagonists of a Disney movie. The brunette started looking for a way to throw the guards off their trail. Then, the girls could regroup and figure out how to get to the cathedral without being seen. Again.

Just when Kate and Izzy became sure that they would be caught (they could hear the guards' labored breathing and weighty footfalls right behind them), their chance to escape came: completely out of nowhere, a colorfully painted gypsy cart came barreling across the street and knocked right into the guards. They all went flying, their startled shouts mingling with the sound of wood cracking; apparently, the decrepit cart didn't survive the crash. The soldiers were all piled on the ground, moaning in pain. They didn't even notice when Kate and Izzy slipped down a dark alley and dashed out of sight.

* * *

><p>The two friends leaned against a dirty brick wall, gasping for breath. They had finally stopped running when they got to a dark, damp backstreet that was far away from their pursuers. After taking a few minutes to recover from their frenzied sprint through Paris, Izzy examined their current position. Obviously, they were far away from the splendor of Notre Dame. The ground was dirty and littered with garbage; the buildings nearby were dilapidated and caked with soot. Not a soul was in sight, apart from a few rats skittering away from a nearby trashcan. Overall it was a desolate place, but Frollo's men were nowhere to be found, so it was safe. <em>For now, anyway. <em>Izzy thought. She turned to Kate.

"Well _Katherine_, it looks like we're lost," she said accusingly, her blue eyes narrowing.

Kate was indignant. "Well, _Isabelle_, excuse me for getting you to safety! If it weren't for me, you would have just stood there and gotten captured–"

Izzy exploded. "If it weren't for _you_, we wouldn't be completely lost right now!"

"_What?!"_

"You freaked out, ran away without a plan, and dragged me along for the ride! If you would've stopped to think for just _one second_, you would have let me take over and lead the way! Do you realize that we could be at Notre Dame by now? But no, now we're crouching in some dark alley a million miles away from the _one_ place we're safe from Frollo's soldiers! Who knows if we'll even make it back!"

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to go back to Madame's in the first place! If I had my way, we would have gone straight to the cathedral to check on Quasimodo and we'd never have run into those guards–"

"Oh, don't even–"

Their argument was interrupted by a small whimpering sound coming from behind the trashcan. Both girls froze, their angry expressions being replaced by ones of surprise. Slowly, they crept over to the metal container and looked behind it. Sitting behind the can was a tiny puppy. It was adorable. Its fur, while coated with sooty mud, was a light brown with lighter splotches on its back, paws, and face. Its ears were floppy, and its white-speckled tail was wagging wildly. It barked quietly at the two girls, and Kate scooped it up off the ground. It licked her hand happily.

"Hi, sweetie!" Kate cooed. Izzy smiled at the dog and it barked again. The girls, temporarily forgetting their fight, started petting and fussing over their new friend.

"Oh, look how dirty he is! Poor thing," Izzy murmured. "When we get back to Notre Dame we should give him a bath."

"Yeah, and won't Quasimodo be surprised?" Kate grinned, but then her face darkened. "…But I though you didn't think we'd ever get back to Notre Dame! Just a minute ago…"

The two girls were silent for a moment as they remembered their harsh words to one another. Izzy crossed her arms and looked away, and Kate got a guilty look on her face. She held the puppy closer to her and said nothing.

After a few beats of heavy silence, Kate looked up at Izzy. "Hey, Izzy, I'm–"

"I'm sorry too!" Izzy interrupted. "I shouldn't have blamed you for everything…"

Kate smiled forgivingly. "I shouldn't have said all that stuff either. We've just had a long, scary day, and I bet we'll feel a lot better once we're safe inside the cathedral."

The two girls quickly hugged, and the puppy between them barked happily and sloppily licked both of their faces. They laughed, and then got down to business. Kate checked around for guards while Izzy started figuring out the safest way back to Notre Dame. A few minutes later and Kate and Izzy were ready to continue their journey. After Kate gathered up the stray dog in her arms, they all began to quietly sneak through the labyrinthine streets of Paris. The night was beautiful, the sky was vivid indigo and dappled with millions of shining stars. However, this gorgeous sight was lost on the young women and their newfound dog. For them, menace hung heavily in the air, and even Kate couldn't afford to become distracted.

The three disappeared into the blackness of the night.

* * *

><p>Some time later, the trio had nearly reached their destination. Navigating through the winding, cobblestone streets of medieval Paris had not been easy, but Kate and Izzy had managed to find their way. Now, they were within blocks of Notre Dame, but safety was far from assured. Until that point, the girls hadn't seen their pursuers, Frollo's guards, since their argument. But the soldiers were out in full force around the cathedral. Groups of armed, dangerous men patrolled the streets around Notre Dame, on the lookout for either the girls or the gypsy from the Feast of Fools, Esmeralda.<p>

"…Alright, Kate, we're almost to safety," Izzy mumbled. "All we need to do now is wait for the guards to spontaneously _drop dead_ so we can have a shot at getting into the building safely. It'll be a slim chance, though."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Sarcasm at a time like this?" She whispered with a small smile. "Why am I not surprised?"

Izzy winked, and then laid out her real plan. "Ok, here's what we're gonna do. Right now, it looks like there are two groups of ten guards, each patrolling around the building. There are also five guards at the main door, and two at each side entrance. We're least likely to be seen if we use the main door, because there are no other guards on this side of Notre Dame."

"Ok," Kate said cautiously, "but how are we going to do that? Distract the guards?"

"Exactly!" Izzy whispered excitedly. "But…we may have to split up." Seeing Kate's alarmed expression, she tried to soothe her friend. "I know, it's risky, but I don't see any other way." After the brown haired girl sighed and agreed, Izzy pressed on. "One of us will hide near the front entrance with the dog, and the other will go around to the side of the building when the two patrol groups are far away. There, they'll create a distraction, and when the guards at the main door run to see what it was, whichever one of us is hiding will run inside to safety."

"Sounds good so far," Kate muttered, "but what is the distracter supposed to do?"

Now, Izzy looked unsure. "That's where it'll get dangerous," she admitted. "Once the distraction happens and the guards leave their posts, the distracter will have to run around to the nearest available entrance and get inside before the guards arrive there."

"But what if there _is_ no available entrance?"

Izzy gulped. "Um… I'll be the distractor, Kate, don't worry."

Kate paled, but shook her head. "No, I'll do it. I'm faster than you are; I have a better chance of outrunning them."

Izzy looked like she was about to argue, but then nodded grimly. "I guess that's true. Be safe, ok?"

The two friends looked at each other, then hugged. The puppy in Kate's arms whined quietly, and Kate handed him over to Izzy. She managed a wavering smile, and then darted off quietly into the dark.

Clutching the dog tighter, Izzy waited for her chance to sneak into the cathedral. Wishing she had been able to come up with a safer idea, the girl silently prayed that everything would go according to plan.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, atop the bell tower, Quasimodo's heart was pounding. Against all odds, here he was, talking to the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen: Esmeralda. From the moment he met her, she had treated him with such kindness and acceptance. She had held his hand–he could scarcely believe it himself– and told him he wasn't a monster, even made him question Frollo's assertions for the first time in his life. Esmeralda was different than anyone he'd ever met, and Quasimodo was already utterly devoted to this sweet gypsy.<p>

He studied her as she leaned over the stone balcony. She looked wistfully out at the horizon through smoldering green eyes. The poor girl was trapped here by Frollo's guards, and Quasi could tell that it was already starting to affect her. Even though he'd just met her, the gentle bell ringer couldn't bear for his new friend to be unhappy. Advancing towards her, he took her delicate hand in his.

"You helped me," he said, "now I will help you."

"But there's no way out," Esmeralda protested. "There are soldiers at every door!"

Quasimodo smiled mysteriously. "We won't use a door."

"You mean we'll _climb_ down?"

Quasi nodded, and after a moment of hesitation, Esmeralda agreed. Gathering her goat in her arms, she allowed the hunchback to pick her up. He grinned, and without further ado he swung over the balcony onto the roof.

Esmeralda blanched. "_Now_ I'm afraid."

As the pair started their dubious descent down to the ground below, Quasimodo reveled in the feeling of holding Esmeralda. He was touched by the level of trust she had in him. _Him!_ A monster! He was becoming more and more enamored with this girl the longer he spent with her, but he remained slightly doubtful. After all, there was no way she could ever return his affections. Could she?

Quasimodo was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he lost his footing on a loose roof tile. He and the gypsy screamed, and the next thing he knew, he, Esmeralda, and Djali were all sliding down the side of Notre Dame on the tile.

Well, this wasn't going as expected.

Grabbing hold of a gargoyle just in time, Quasi pulled the three of them back onto the roof as the tile shot out into the streets below, clanging loudly against something. Holding Esmeralda more securely against himself, the bell ringer crossed a few statues and brought her and Djali safely to the ground.

Esmeralda looked around briefly, a frown playing at the corner of her full lips. "Strange, why aren't there any guards around?"

Quasimodo looked bashful. "I hope I didn't scare you," he said.

The dark-haired woman smiled sweetly. "Not for an instant."

* * *

><p>Kate was crouched behind a building's firewood pile at the front corner of Notre Dame. She peered out from behind it to watch the first group of guards patrol around the cathedral. Her eyes were wide with apprehension, and her stomach felt like it was twisted in knots. <em>Why did I even agree to this plan?<em> She asked herself worriedly. Izzy had tried her best, but this place was too well-guarded for any kind of foolproof entrance or exit. Kate could only hope that it would all go smoothly, but she knew that it would be a miracle if she got in undetected, if at all. What would happen to her at the Palace of Justice? Madame Huet's tone when describing it had been far from reassuring, and Kate shuddered when she contemplated all the possible consequences of being captured.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for action. _Okay, Kate, focus._ The first group of guards was already long gone, and the second should be coming up soon. After they got far enough away, she'd make a lot of noise and then run for her life, looping back around to the front entrance. It didn't really matter if the guards saw her, as long as she made it in the door before them. She and Izzy would claim sanctuary, and they would be safe! At least, she hoped.

Kate held her breath as she saw the second group of guards turning the corner around Notre Dame. Shrinking back into the shadows, she watched them start to pass her. Maybe this would work after all…

Then, she heard a harsh metallic screech overhead. Startled, Kate looked up in time to see a huge roof tile arching in the air over her. She gasped loudly as the tile smacked into the wood pile with a loud clang, toppling it. Wood rolled everywhere, and the guards all whipped around to see the girl standing there dumbstruck.

The guards stared at her for a long moment, blinking stupidly. Then, one of them roared, "There's one of 'em! Grab her!"

The brunette bolted. She ran faster than she ever had, sprinting down the side of Notre Dame. She had to lead the guards away from the front door so Izzy could sneak in before she could worry about herself.

"_This was a terrible plan!" _She shouted into the wind, her pursuers yelling oaths and curses behind her. Tearing down the cobblestone alley, she managed to attract the attention of two more guards at one of the side doors. _Wonderful_. She now had twelve men after her. Then, she noticed the five guards from the front door had joined the chase. _Scratch that, seventeen. _At least now she knew the front door was unguarded, and that Izzy was probably safe inside.

Kate ducked down a side alley, then took a moment to catch her breath while she waited for the guards to run past her. They didn't see their prey and kept charging down the side of the cathedral, clomping along loudly in their heavy boots and armor. Emerging from her hiding place, she scurried to the side entrance. Trying the door, she found that it was locked. Fine, she'd have to make her way around to the front. Wasting no time, Kate dashed back the way she came. No guards were around; she seemed to be in the clear. She rounded the corner, and–

Her stomach dropped. She had forgotten about the second group of patrol guards! They were just turning the opposite corner of Notre Dame. She was out in the open with nowhere to hide. As they spotted her, raising the alarm, she had to make a quick decision. Should she try to run away or risk capture and try to make it to the door? Making up her mind, she hurtled forwards, running towards the guards. If she could just make it to the door in time…

The world tilted as a cobblestone came loose beneath her feet. Tripping, Kate slammed against the ground, skidding a few feet as she went. Pain ripped through her leg, and she cried out. Staggering upright, she kept going, limping now.

"_Kate!"_ Izzy shrieked. The blonde was standing on the front steps with an old man in religious robes, the dog barking at their feet. Izzy rushed forward to help her friend, but the man pushed her back gently.

"Stay back, mademoiselle!" He shouted. Izzy obeyed grudgingly, picking up the puppy and taking a few steps back inside the church.

Meanwhile, Kate had reached the steps, and the man–Kate now recognized him as the Archdeacon–wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder and started helping her up the stairs.

"Here, my child, just a few more steps," he said encouragingly. Kate managed a nervous smile, but then gasped as someone yanked her backwards.

"Now we've got ya!" A guard rasped, his smelly breath on the back of Kate's neck.

'No!" Izzy shouted. "Get away from her, you creep!" The puppy in Izzy's arms growled.

"Isabelle, you must stay inside the cathedral or they'll capture you as well!" The Archdeacon pleaded. Then, he turned to the guards, who had all caught up and were now surrounding Kate with weapons drawn. Some of them paled at the Archdeacon's icy gaze.

"Unhand that girl at once," he ordered. He spoke calmly, but his voice rang with authority. "She is on the steps of Notre Dame, and claims sanctuary from capture. Arresting her now is tantamount to blasphemy."

Many of the guards started to look uneasy, but the two ringleaders (the guards from the Festival that the girls had confronted) didn't blink. "We have direct orders to capture _both_ these lawbreakers and bring them to the Palace of Justice. They cannot be allowed to escape! They have resisted arrest twice already and they attacked us earlier at the Festival–"

"Do you mean to tell me that you allowed two young girls to best you in combat?" A disdainful voice echoed from inside the cathedral.

Izzy sniffed. "We're not _that_ young," she muttered, a little offended.

The guards all hastily saluted at the handsome, armored figure that emerged from Notre Dame.

"Captain Phoebus, sir!" The guard groveled. "We're very s-sorry, sir, we didn't mean for them to get away again…"

"Well, I suppose you'll have to disappoint me one more time before this day is through," the captain quipped, running a gloved hand through his blond hair. He turned to the Archdeacon, smiling kindly. "I'm terribly sorry, Archdeacon, my guards seem to lack any semblance of manners. We will respect the girls' claim to sanctuary and leave immediately."

"But sir–" A guard protested.

Phoebus whipped around. "Do I make myself clear?" There was an edge to his voice that made the guard cower.

"Y-yes sir!"

As soon as the guards started to depart, Izzy ran over to help her friend. "How's your leg?" She asked, worried.

Kate grimaced. "It hurts a lot, but I don't think it's too bad." The brown puppy licked Kate's hand and whined.

Phoebus came towards Izzy and Kate. "I'm very sorry about the trouble my men have caused you," he apologized. He sounded very sincere. "Unfortunately, I can only guarantee your safety if you stay in the cathedral for a few days until this situation blows over. But rest assured, Judge Frollo has much bigger things on his mind than capturing you two." He gave them a warm hearted smile. "After this is over, please let me know if there is anything you need." With that, he walked away.

"Um, thank you." Kate responded, a little shocked.

Izzy whistled appreciatively. "_Hello_, Captain."

The Archdeacon sighed and beckoned for the girls to follow him inside. "Come now, children, you will be safe in here tonight."

As Izzy helped her hobble inside, Kate turned to the Archdeacon. "Thank you for helping us, Mr. Archdeacon! Um, would it be alright if we went up to the bell tower to see our friend?"

He smiled benevolently. "Of course, Katherine, you are always welcome in the house of the Lord."

Izzy turned to Kate. "Well, at least we made it inside. Sorry my plan didn't turn out so well."

Kate waved her off. "Don't worry about it, all that matters is that we're safe now. Come on, let's go see Quasimodo."

The puppy barked happily, and the two girls smiled. The three headed towards the sound of the ringing bells.


End file.
